Butte County is a place of natural beauty with countless opportunities for recreation in both rural and urban environments. Many Butte County residents live in one of the five incorporated towns or cities: Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville or Paradise. Butte County government provides services to residents through 23 diverse departments. Services include elections, road maintenance, public safety, solid waste disposal, and health and human services to name a few.

Oroville, CA - Butte County residents who suffered damage or losses from the LaPorte Fire and the Cherokee Fire can now register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

FEMA representatives are available to assist residents in applying for assistance at the Fire Assistance Center (FAC) located at 7 County Center Drive, Oroville, Monday, October 16th and Tuesday, October 17th from 8:00am to 4:00pm. FEMA representatives will also be available to assist residents at the Local Assistance Center (LAC) located at 7500 Oro Bangor Highway on Wednesday, October 18th and Thursday, October 19th from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Applicants will be asked for the following information:

Social Security number

Address of the damaged primary residence

Description of the damage

Information about insurance coverage

A current contact telephone number

An address where they can receive mail

Bank account and routing number for direct deposit of funds.

Disaster assistance for homeowners and renters may include grants to help pay for:

Temporary housing

Essential home repairs

Uninsured or underinsured personal property losses

Other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance

FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if a survivor has registered with another disaster-relief organization, such as the American Red Cross. Survivors should register even if they have insurance.

FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their claims have been settled.

Residents can also apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 1.800.621.3362 or (TTY) 1.800.462.7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may call 1.800.621.3362. The toll-free numbers are open seven days a week from 7:00am to 10:00pm

Six Additional Properties from Wall Fire to be Included

Oroville, CA – Starting Tuesday, October 3, 2017, The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will begin removing household hazardous waste from 19 properties burned in the Ponderosa Fire and six properties burned in the Wall Fire. DTSC Teams from the State will be in the field with Butte County Environmental Health. The teams will visit burned properties to identify and remove household hazardous waste at no charge to the property owner.

Property owners from both fires who want to participate in the free program can still sign a right-of-entry form to grant the State access to remove household hazardous waste. Residents are encouraged to get the form turned in this week, while clean-up teams are in the affected area. Property owners should call Brenda Rightmyer with the Yankee Hill Fire Safe Council to get the right form and connect with the State teams. Brenda can be reached at, (530) 370-5302.

Removing household hazardous waste from burned home sites is an important step after a fire. Ash, charred debris, and other contaminated materials can be detrimental to health and may be hazardous waste. Once DTSC has completed household hazardous waste removal, they will provide certification to the property owner showing household hazardous waste has been properly identified and removed so they can safely begin cleaning up the remaining fire debris.

Property owners who do not participate in the program provided by the State must hire a hazardous waste specialist to identify and remove household hazardous waste from burned structures. The Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility will only accept fire debris from properties with a certificate showing household hazardous waste has been properly removed.

OROVILLE, CA – A community meeting for residents affected by the Ponderosa Fire will be held Thursday, September 21st from 6-8 pm at the Feather Falls Grange, located at 1834 Lumpkin Road. Butte County will present at the meeting, which is hosted by the Feather Falls Fire Safe Council. Residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the fire will have the opportunity to meet with Butte County staff and community-based organizations to discuss the steps for recovering and rebuilding.

Information available will include property clean-up and disposal of hazardous material and fire debris, health and safety concerns during the clean-up process, property tax relief options, permit process for rebuilding, how to replace lost documents, and how to access additional resources.

Residents who are unable to attend the meeting are encouraged to visit the Butte County Fire Assistance Center (FAC) open Monday through Friday from 12-3 pm, located at 7 County Center Drive in Oroville. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and to help residents complete forms and applications. Residents are encouraged to call 530.538.7473 to schedule an appointment, but walk-in service is also available.

Butte County’s gross value for agricultural production in 2016 was $705,211,786 – representing a decrease of nearly 9 percent from the previous year ($772,639,884).

Walnuts (English), almonds, rice, and prunes led the way for 2016 crop values. Walnuts continued to be the number one crop that generated over $234 million in gross value. Almonds remained as the number two crop at $188 million. Rice remained the number three crop in the county at almost $123 million. Even though prune growers had poor pollination conditions in 2016, prunes remained number four at $31 million.

“Butte County farmers realized lower overall prices for their crops in 2016 compared to previous year’s values. It’s the main reason why our agriculture industry saw a 9 percent decrease. However, agriculture is still the number one industry in Butte County and contributes to our economy in the form of employment, labor income and value added”, said Butte County Agriculture Commissioner Louie Mendoza. “About one in five jobs in our area is attributed to agriculture”.

Butte County’s Agricultural impacts go far beyond the orchards, fields, farmers and farm workers. Each dollar earned within agriculture fuels a more vigorous economy by stimulating additional activity in the form of jobs, labor income and value added such as generating business in banking, marketing, transportation, and other services. The agriculture value chain accounts for nearly three million jobs in California1.

Butte County agriculture experienced an increase in 2016 of agricultural exports to other countries, from Australia to Vietnam, with 73 countries and 8 states importing Butte County agricultural products. Indications at this point are that the number of agricultural exports will continue to stay strong as products remain in demand.

The figures presented in this report are estimated gross values with no consideration of production costs and do not reflect net income to producers.
The 2016 Butte County Crop Report is available online at: www.buttecounty.net/agriculturalcommissioner

OROVILLE, CA -- Butte County will open a Fire Assistance Center (FAC) to help residents who lost their homes or other structures in the Ponderosa Fire. Residents can come to the Fire Assistance Center to learn the benefits of working with the County to get their property assessed for proper cleanup and disposal as well as to get help navigating the process of rebuilding. County staff will meet one-on-one with residents who lost their homes or structures to walk them through the steps for rebuilding. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and to help residents complete forms and applications. Residents are encouraged to call 530.538.7473 to schedule an appointment, but walk-in service is also available.

Forms from the District Attorney’s office will be available for residents affected by the Ponderosa Fire to access financial help available through the California Victim Compensation Bureau. Residents who lost their homes and those who had to evacuate may be eligible to receive reimbursements for losses caused by the fire such as medical/dental expenses and temporary lodging or relocation expenses.

Location: 7 County Center Drive, Oroville inside the Department of Development Services